So did you stay up for the whole game last night? I lasted as long as Matt Harvey, after the 7th inning I went to bed since it was 12:30 AM and I had to wake up at 5AM it seemed like a good time for nap before getting ready for the day ahead. The Met win in 16 innings ended about 90 minutes before I hit the shower to ready myself to take on the world where I heard Marc Ernay break the news to me on 1010 WINS that the Mets had won in 16 innings. This may not be a Mets team that will contend for a post season spot but there is no doubt they are the most resilient Mets team we’ve seen in a long time and it’s that resiliency that could get Terry Collins a contract extension.

I go back and forth on Collins. I don’t think he’s a very good tactician especially late in games and he and Dan Warthen have no set bullpen assignments which makes the relievers nuts. But he has the players ear and respect in the clubhouse and he’s surprisingly good with the media and if you think that’s no big deal go speak to Mr. John Tortorella of Vancouver B.C. about his tenure as NY Rangers head coach.

What will be interesting to watch is if this Mets team does the opposite of Mets teams of the past few seasons and finishes strong in the second half is that enough to give Collins a contract extension?

Sandy Alderson has said that wins and losses will not be the determining factor in bringing Collins back in 2014, if in Alderson’s eyes the club has made progress on the field that would weigh in favor of an extension of Collins contract. So if the team keeps playing as well as it has and keeps bouncing back from defeats that in seasons past would have had a negative effect on them for a week or two, then it would be quite difficult not to bring Collins back for at least another season.

Collins should also hope that Tony LaRussa is enjoying retirement because if he’s not and itching to get back into the game, things could get very interesting around here comes the off season.

About last night’s game, it seems that Matt Harvey may be experiencing the same lofty fan expectations that Dwight Gooden had to endure, every start has to be a near no hitter with a dozen or so strikeouts and zero base on balls and of course a complete game shutout. Gooden talks about this in his book how he would hold a team to five hits or so with a couple of walks and five or six strikeouts in seven innings and have fans and media feel let down. Are we approaching that train of thought with Matt Harvey?

Harvey threw 40 % of his total pitches (121) in the first two innings of this game, dividing his 50 pitches in half each inning. His K/BB break down in the first two innings was 33/17. He made one bad pitch, leaving a fastball up to Buster Posey on a 3-1 count that Posey turned on and deposited into the left field stands for a two run home run and just one walk, to Andres Torres in the 2nd where ball four was a strike as home plate ump Adam Hamari was inconsistent in his calls all night. What more can you expect from your Ace?

And let’s not go after Collins for letting Harvey start the 7th inning, he was still throwing his fastball in the mid to upper 90’s and he was throwing strikes and showed no sign of fatigue. After pitching in the heat and humidity in his last few starts, the cool San Francisco evening air looked to rejuvenate Harvey if anything.

My only concern with Harvey is his off the field rise of stardom. I don’t begrudge Harvey of any of the fruits of his fame; I just worry about too much, too fast. On the mound Harvey is in control and takes care of business so well that he’s not just a Mets phenom but a baseball one as well. I just worry about the off field Harvey interfering with the on field Harvey. I hope my worry is much ado about nothing.

When it’s 87 degrees at 5AM you just know it’s going to be a day when putting a complete thought together is going to rough (or rougher than usual) so as I wipe the svitz off my forehead he are some thought’s for a Friday where my fingers and toes are crossed that Con Edison doesn’t fuck us over today.

Last night, I attended maybe the worst baseball game I have ever seen . It was a tilt between the Staten Island Highlanders against the Tamp Bay Rays NY-Penn League affiliate the Hudson Valley Renegades . It wasn’t bad enough that the heat and humidity in the soulless Richmond County Ballpark was suffocating, the play on the field was atrocious. Both teams combined for NINE ERRORS, the baby Highlanders account for six of them. The home plate ump Brain Miller made the night even more unbearable, allowing both teams to conducted marathon visits to the mound to the point I had to scream out to him “Blue com’on move it along” which could be heard clearly by the umpire as the stands were inhabited by about 1,000 or so sweaty ass’s in the seats and I was right behind home plate. Umpire Miller glared at me and I gave him an “are you fucking kidding me look” when he used his best judgment of the night and put his mask back on and continued the game. Asshole.

Oh by the way, the baby Highlanders won 8-7 and have an incredible 25-8 record that no one on Staten Island gives a rat’s ass about. This is one of the biggest head scratchers for me, Staten Island is Highlander country, you see about 10 Highlanders t-shirts/jersey’s to every Mets piece of apparel but for some reason the Baby Highlanders can’t draw anyone to the downtown ball park except when the Brooklyn Cyclones make the trip over the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. I get a few different reasons from Highlander friends and acquaintances on why they don’t patronize the minor league team. Some tell me they’d rather see the “real” Highlanders, some live on the South Shore of the Island and hate making the trek downtown. Some will go on the weekends when the club draws a bit better but the biggest segment of the fan base comes by ferry from Manhattan. Manny of the fans at last night’s game were Manhattanites who live in Tribeca or SoHo and love taking the ferry over watching the game and then head back to the city.

Give me MCU Park and the Coney Island Boardwalk anytime.

David Wright is back tonight (as is Kevin Burkhardt on SNY) so it will be interesting to see how the offense works with Reyes lighting the fuse at the top and Beltran, Wright and Murph in the middle of the lineup. How long Beltran will be a Met is an ongoing saga. It seems from what you read Alderson is more than willing to trade your team Carlos Beltran and about $6 mil to cover his paychecks for the rest of the year for one of your prized farm hands. If you feel Beltran is the missing piece to your post season run you can have him, but he’s not coming cheap. Seems most of the GM’s who are in position to deal suffer from irritable bowel syndrome when Sandy Alderson rings the phone. Bottom line, one of these contenders will cave as the bat of Beltran is too powerful to pass up and the Mets will get a top prospect in return.

I can’t stand the NJ Devils but I am very sad that Doc Emrick is leaving MSG and Devils play by play to be the exclusive voice of the NHL on NBC/Versus. I’m sure most of you have read the articles on Emrick on what a great guy he is and his play by play of hockey is unmatched and having met Doc I can tell it’s all true.

About 5 or so years ago, my wife and I were Christmas shopping at the Paramus Mall. As usual I had enough of shopping and Christmas, so I told my wife to continue her spending spree while I hit the bench with a Starbucks Latte for a while. A few minutes after I took a load off, a gentleman sat next to me, it was none other than Doc Emrick. I sat and talked hockey and baseball l with him for about a half hour when he had to leave. When he got up, he put out his hand and said to me “thank you for making this trip to the mall worthwhile for me, I enjoyed our conversation” I was like, “are you kidding, thank you for making me glad I came here” we both laughed and shook hands. Great guy that Doc.

WOW! I swear I made an attempt to go to work this morning. I got up at 5AM and looked out the window and thought twice about heading out. Then I went downstairs to put on the TV to see what the situation was in the city it was there the little scrawl under the screen said the Staten Island Rapid Transit has suspend service. As I type this, service is still down as the snow drifts have covered the third rail so they have sent the diesel powered work train out to clear the rail to get the train moving again.

It’s not the ammount of snow although on Staten Island there must be close to 20 inches, it’s the wind that causes drifts of 3 to 4 feet.

Here is what it looks like from my front door

I was lucky to get the storm door and front door open as the snow driffted to the right of the doors. There are steps and a walkway under that blanket of snow, also lights along the side that may not be seen until the opening day of baseball season

Where it gets tricky is from the side door to the driveway and the garage where my yard has a Siberian feel to it

Good thing I kept a shovel inside. Problem here is, I keep a refrigerator in the garage and of course I need to get to it for a gallon of milk and orange juice, so there is a negotiation on going as to whom wants that milk and juice badly enough to go fetch it.

I also have to make a correction. In the beginning of the show I made reference to the passing of Sparky Anderson and mentioned the Reds beating the Highlanders in 1975 World Series which was a huge blunder on my part when I should know it was the 1976 World Series where the Big Red Machine kicked the Highlanders ass. I could blame it on the fact that I was up at 5AM and worked a ten hour shift and did this show at 11PM but that’s no excuse and your right I need to grow a pair.

You just know that this Charlie Samuels mess is going to get worse before it gets better. The Mets can say Samuels is indefinitely suspended but we all know Samuels will never work in baseball again. As soon as he admitted to MLB investigators that he bet on baseball, he accepted his baseball death sentence. I’m just concerned about how long this was going on, who knew what and when did they know it and I’m praying no Mets players were involved in this shit storm.

I have no problem at all with the Mets cutting ties with Hisanori Takahashi for the price Taka and his agent were asking, 3yrs /$12-$15mil the Mets were offering what I believe is a more realistic contract of 1yr+an option for $3mil. Taka was outstanding taking over for Frankie Rodriguez and that’s what he is, a reliever who can give you an inning, two tops. As a starter, when he faces a lineup the second and third time around Taka gets pounded. There is a good possibility that Pedro Feliciano will be coming out of someone else’s bullpen in 2011 as well since he has a higher opinion of his monetary value as a stone cold LOOGY than the Mets do.

Wally Backman gets to WOW Sandy Alderson today as he interviews for the Mets Managers job. Backman is the number one choice for most Mets fans let’s see if can make a big impression on Alderson.

Still waiting to get back to my normal routine as office still under renovation. This was one longggggggggggg day and my ass is dragging. I get to do it all over again tomorrow as well, yippeee!

But at least the night should be great as I’m going to see LOMBARDI the new play based on the book When Pride Still Mattered by David Maranis, one of my all time favorite books about the great Vince Lombardi. Can’t wait for that, but for now I’m ready to fall face first into my bed as 5AM is right around the corner, so I’ll leave you with this, it’s pretty, pretty, pppprrreeetttty funny that Stan Kasten resigned his position as President of the Washington Nationals just when the word on the street is the Mets are looking for a Baseball Czar. Successful baseball exec, NYU, Columbia Law School grad, Jersey Guy ? It all makes sense, What do you think Stan Kasten running the Mets ? Works for me.

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